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https://www.lifegate.it/nord-stream-gas-baltico
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- A triple natural gas leak in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines has occurred in the Baltic Sea.
- Denmark, Sweden and the European Union speak openly of sabotage.
- Russia rejects the accusations, and in turn calls the United States into question.
October 1st update.The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has stopped leaking natural gas from leaks under the Baltic Sea.This was reported by the Danish Energy Agency.The news is also confirmed by Nord Stream Ag spokesperson, Ulrich Lissek, according to which there could be two reasons for the end of the gas leak:“Either the pipeline has completely emptied, or the pressure of the water and the gas in the pipeline have reached such an equilibrium that the gas still inside cannot escape.”
Meanwhile, suspicions of sabotage are increasing:according to an analysis by a group of experts, cited by the Guardian, the four leaks in the two Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines could have been opened with TNT, up to 500 kilos, detonated at a depth of 80 metres:hence the explosions that were heard before the gas began to escape to the surface.The study suggests that the robots used for maintenance placed the TNT:Nord Stream I, in this period, was stopped due to repair work.
Calculations by the Danish Energy Agency show that leaks from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the worst case have emitted 778 million standard cubic meters of natural gas.The volume of leaked gas equates to greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 14.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e).In comparison, Danish CO2e emissions amounted to approximately 45 million tonnes of CO2e in 2020.The climate effect of the leaks therefore corresponds to 32 percent of Danish greenhouse gas emissions in 2020.
Update September 29th. There are four, not three, gas leaks from the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, two in Swedish waters and two in Danish waters.The fourth leak was found by the Swedish Coast Guard, and in all likelihood it opened at the same time as the other three, and not later.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace raises the environmental alarm:“Leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines, according to initial estimates, could have the same climate-destroying potential as 30 million tons of carbon dioxide.That's the same as the annual emissions of 20 million cars in the European Union."Stefano Grassi, head of cabinet of the European Energy Commissioner, also spoke of a "potentially unprecedented climate and environmental disaster".
Update September 28th.The triple gas leak that yesterday affected the two Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea continues, and it will not be possible to intervene for at least a week.Even now "there is a lot of gas escaping, the explosion was very large, and therefore it will take at least a week or two before we can investigate by going deeper", he explained Danish Defense Minister Morten Bodskov.
Meanwhile, the European Union clearly speaks of sabotage, and throughHigh Representative for Foreign Affairs Joseph Borrell says it is deeply concerned about the damage that has caused losses in the international waters of the Baltic Sea".Concerns that concern above all safety and the environment, which have the highest priority.According to Europe “all available information indicates that tThese losses are the result of a deliberate act.We will support any investigation to gain full clarity on what happened and why, and we will take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security.Any deliberate disruption of Europe's energy infrastructure is completely unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response."
The Danish Defense Minister himself was the clearest in assigning responsibility for the sabotage to Russia "which has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region and we expect it to continue launching saber strikes".However, Moscow continues to deny the accusations:according to the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, which calls for a joint investigation into the incident, the United States could be behind the incident:“It was predictable, but stupid and absurd” to accuse Russia, “but let's remember that Biden in February said he wanted to get rid of Nord Stream.And today we see a significant increase in the profits of American energy companies...".
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A triple natural gas leak, of methane, has been affecting the two gas pipelines since last night Nord Stream 1 and 2 owned by the energy company Gazprom and which connect Russia with Europe, in particular with Germany.Two gas leaks occurred near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. between Sweden and Denmark, to the point that it is possible to see the sea water boiling in a vortex that reaches a kilometer in diameter:the Swedish Ministry of Defense released a video documenting the explosions.A third gas leak occurred in Swedish waters.
The alarm was raised jointly by the Danish and Swedish authorities, who opened a discussion on the triple gas leak, while the operator of the two conduits, Nord Stream Ag, independent from Gazprom, talks about “unprecedented damage” which occurred on the same day and were caused by a drop in pressure, adding that they did not have a precise estimate of the time in which operation could be restored.
Sabotage of the Nord stream gas pipeline is hypothesized
At the moment the two gas pipelines are not operational:The Nord Stream 2 project was abandoned by Germany at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while the Nord Stream I it has been officially stopped since the beginning of September "for maintenance work" as reported by Gazprom, although the real reason could be traced back to Russian retaliation for European sanctions due to the war.Both pipelines, however, were still full of gas under pressure and the coincidence and severity of the damage on the two pipelines suggests a sabotage action.
Nord Stream Ag only says that "the causes of the damage are under investigation" while the German newspaper Tagesspiegel explains that "the drop in pressure in the two gas pipelines a short distance from each other" is not considered a coincidence by the Berlin government.The Swedish police themselves have opened an investigation for sabotage.Navigation within a radius of five nautical miles and overflight by aircraft within a radius of one kilometer have currently been prohibited.THE'Danish Energy Agency talks about "really huge gas leaks” in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines:“We are worried about what happened.”Concern also in Norway:Norwegian Navy Captain Tor Ivar Strømmen bluntly explains to Norwegian TV that “the Russians deliberately destroyed these gas pipelines, they will probably try to blame someone else, preferably the Americans.”
The accusations and environmental risks
Waiting to understand the causes of the gas leak, according to Tim McPhie, spokesperson for the European Commission, “the potential impact of the methane leak must be monitored, a gas with important effects on climate change and air pollution.We are in direct contact with member states on maritime navigation."
In response to Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke of "a terrorist attack planned by Russia and an act of aggression against Europe", even the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, admitted that “no possibility can be excluded, including that of sabotage”, however blaming Ukraine itself, and Washington as a “decisive opponent of Russian gas supplies to Europe.
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